Less is more Cessnock - Sustainability Pledges

I will reduce food waste at home by:

• Better meal planning.
• Planning a specific day each week to use up leftovers.
• Regularly checking what’s in the fridge, freezer and pantry before going food shopping
• Purchasing the right amount of food. This online portion planner can help make sure you don’t buy too much for each meal.
• Shopping with a shopping list.
• Checking who is eating before preparing food.
• Encouraging small servings to reduce food waste.
• Storing left overs in the freezer with proper labels and ensuring they are used.
• Starting a ‘use it up’ shelf in the fridge or pantry and get everyone in the household to use food from this shelf first.
• Rotating food and placing oldest items to the front/top of fridge or pantry.
• Using transparent containers to easily see what food needs to be used.
• Cooking one meal each week that combines foods that need to be used up.
• Getting creative with using leftovers ( the internet has lots of ideas)
• Preserving any unused vegetables by pickling or other methods of preserving food.
• Using the time to get the most out of my food e.g. making potato peelings into chips and roast chicken carcass into homemade stock.

I will reduce my personal waste by:

• Buying only what I need and being content and thankful for all that I have 
• Limiting my use of single-use and disposable products and choosing alternatives which can be used again.
• Opting for products with minimal packaging where possible and buying in bulk.
• Refusing plastic bags by keep reusable bags handy 
• Investing in reusable cloth produce bags for use when purchasing fruit and vegetables, ( or simply putting them in my trolley rather than plastic bags)
• Keeping a reusable set of cutlery with me and a straw with me so I can avoid the use of disposal straws, cups and cutlery. 
• Always using a reusable coffee mug (my own or using the Green Cafeen scheme)
• Making my own products and foodstuffs 
• Eating a diet that is predominantly unpackaged vegetables and fruits. 
• Growing some of my own produce at home or buying directly from other growers 

I will reduce textile waste by:

• Only buying what I need and using what I have creatively 
• Repairing (or getting others to repair) damaged clothes 
• Upcycling unused clothing into other items of purpose e.g. reusable produce bags, headbands
• Swapping and sharing clothes with friends and family
• Donating clothes I no longer need to charities 
• Looking after my clothing properly
• Borrowing or hiring clothing when I am likely to only wear an item a small number of times
• Buying quality items made of natural fibres  

I will reduce furniture waste at home by:

• Fixing any broken or damaged furniture that I have
• Resisting the desire to have a updated look and simply being satisfied with what I have 
• Buying quality second hand furniture as necessary 
• Buying new furniture only when it’s unavoidable and making sure it is a quality piece that will last. 

• Initiating a cooperative purchasing group where people buy in bulk directly from suppliers 
• Starting up a local trading exchange where people exchange services and skills with each other 
• Inviting neighbours to play together in a shared playing space – getting kids outside and reducing the need to travel for kids play/entertainment
• Organising car-pooling for work or school trips 
• Arranging for individual cars/caravans/other items to be shared by groups of people 
• Starting up a Sustainable Neighbourhood Group
• Connecting with local growers or farmers to start up a community agriculture exchange: connecting urban and rural producers
• Starting up a community run vegetable garden
• Setting up a local group to run a local Tool Library
• Start up a voluntary simplicity study circle